The competition aims to bring exposure to the outstanding efforts of the winners and to connect them with stakeholders in a position to help them expand their businesses. To that end, Sukuma Afrika targets prime events to hold its yearly awards ceremony.

The 2009 Awards Ceremony was held at an Annual Conference of the Global Business School Network which brought the business community to focus on partnerships and specifically business schools as development partners. The roundtable was a side event to the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town on 9th June 2009.

It brought together leaders, managers, professors, scholars, investors, top business management schools, private and public sector worldwide to network and find novel approaches to capacitate in building up low income countries

Emphases were made on total educational experience in ensuring business schools and their products offered develop more accountable leaders.

The conversation also centred on the recent global crisis and the economic models needed to combat it.

Social entrepreneurship was the talk of the day as many of the leaders concluded is the best practice and the only antidote to solve the crisis. It taps into a deep vein of interest to ensure that more and more social entrepreneurs need to emerge.

Sukuma Afrika is established in recognition of the critical role young entrepreneurs and the Diaspora play in the fight against poverty as the generation that will be responsible for reaching the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. The competition encourages young people across Africa to engage in ventures with a social angle and is opened to African youth up to 35 y/o presenting a for-profit business model which contributes to one of the MDGs.

Well, I don’t just know where to start this. Shall I start congratulating myself or express my profound joy and excitement for a job well done.

This has been exciting, rewarding, and successful journey and I sincerely feel on top of the world and highly delighted about the immense success of my journey.

This was as a result of a monumental effort and it only takes a stamina seldom demanded heart to accomplish this.

There were lots of pitfalls and at times I feel grossly incapable. Reasons have been financial difficulties.

However, if all reasons for trials were lumped together, one significant factor stood out like a sore thumb – lack of necessary support.

A person will never succeed if he/she does not possess the artful skill of passion and the techniques of his/her profession, as well as fortitude, perseverance, and a positive mental attitude

A great deal of sacrifice gone into this and I have discovered the key to success – which is honesty, integrity, trust coupled with proper and valid credentials.

Any success that a person accomplishes is in direct proportion to the contribution he/she makes.

If your contribution is meager, so will be the reward. If your effort is average, average results will follow.

If your contribution is exceptional, things will seem to happen like miracles – but they will not be miracles.

Success will simply be a result of a proper and worthwhile effort and contribution.

To all those struggling to get things done, this is to help you in your quest to succeed, to advise you of the proper approaches that will make your campaign more productive, to help you fulfill your dreams and finally to prepare you for the processes that follow in your next level.

However, to remain in the limelight of success and popularity is not an easy thing. One must not rest on one’s oars. Yes, to be frank, I even slept in my office many times.

Let me take this opportunity to properly acknowledge the many hundreds of persons whose motivation made this possible. The result of your effort has opened a channel of wealth and prosperity to those in need. The greatest gift is your daily motivation and the sharing of experiences and knowledge. I dedicate this to my late mother who raised me and every single mother who goes to bed with a single meal.

Astonishing! Women Business Center have been selected out of a total of 150 applicants from Africa and handpicked out of the shortlist of 17 by top executive from MTV, The United Nations, Deloitte, Ogilvy, Junior achievement, African Youth Foundation, and Sekunjalo Investments.

The competition aims to bring exposure to the outstanding efforts of the winners and to connect them with stakeholders in a position to help them expand their businesses.

The 2009 Awards Ceremony will be held at a Annual Conference of the Global Business School Network which invites the business community to focus on partnerships and specifically business schools as development partners.

This roundtable will be a side event to the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town on 9th June 2009.

Education remains an exceptional challenge, no country today can succeed and progress without it. It is a key factor in fighting against extreme Poverty and Hunger.

Goal 3 of the Young Feminist in Action Programme states “to identify key actions required to align, intensify and broaden efforts country wide so as to maximize synergies and more effectively use of “movement” to educate more women about their rights, talents, skills and passion.

It is out of this that Women Business Center, the Young Feminist in Action together with the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town South Africa took part in the Global Campaign for Education. They join others around the globe in the Big Read to make sure everyone gets the chance to learn to read and write.

The good news is that the campaign will go on from mouth to mouth with greater intensity and urgency than ever before.

This will go down in the annals of Women Business Center as the event drew large numbers of children, students and adults from all walks of life.

The day began with the chairperson of Women Business Center and a young social entrepreneur Isaac Aggrey who welcomed everyone and delivered a speech on the impact of education.

In a brief statement, he narrated how Women Business Center has maximise support for the Big Read by setting up social networks to respond to the growing numbers of school drop outs.

He assured everyone that the Young Feminist in Action will continue to speak openly against illiteracy which has plagued the society.

He urged government to make education free and compulsory and establish more adult’s literary centres with scholarships throughout the country or, at least scrap off tuition fees so that parents could afford to send their children to school.

He said parents rob their children the chance to become productive members of society, effective community members, good family members and valuable citizens of society when they deny them education.

He therefore asked parents, world leaders and the society to close ranks and devise concrete ways of solving illiteracy.

To the community members who took part, the day was just sensational and phenomenon. They came in their numbers in spite of the bad weather.

In conclusion, he emphasised the launch of the Big Read is the first of many steps toward invigorated educational campaign in South Africa and mentioned Women Business Center is proud to be affiliated with the effort of University of the Western Cape and looks forward to a continued successful implementation of education for all.

He expressed his immeasurably gratitude to all those who made it possible for Women Business Center and the Young Feminist in Action.

Please log on to 1globe for more speeches, stories, poems, pictures from the Young Feminist Leaders and the University of the Western Cape.

The World Bank Institute and the Institute for Corporate Responsibility present an online conference on Business and Peace.

Agenda:One theme per week for 9 weeks!

About:Businesses have the capability to foster sustainable peace. They often do so without even being aware of their contributions.

Businesses can do even more by becoming aware of which ethical practice s contribute to peace and stability, and the ways they can encourage governments to support local entrepreneurs through legal system reforms.

This eConference will illuminate the contribution responsible business and economic development can make toward building peace.

Watch the video presentations and join the conversation with international experts in business, development and global security.

The discussion will focus on practical action to advance understanding, investment and systemic change toward Peace Through Commerce.

Have your say:Join the world wide discussion on how ethical business practices can foster peace Featuring video presentations from:

Whole Foods Market

Global Peace Index

Travel Industry Association of America

U.S. Department of State

Center for International Private Enterprise

George Washington University

FLOW Ltd.

Notre Dame University School of Business

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Wharton Business School

How to participate:Joining the eConference is fast and free, and includes membership to Business Fights Poverty, a professional social network which comes with a number of benefits.

Once you have signed up for the eConference you can return and click on the discussions at any time to access videos, resources, interact with other participants, and add your views to the discussion.

The Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Darren Schemmer spoke on the Theme: THE ROLE YOUTH SOCIAL. ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN PLAY IN SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

He stressed on the fact that most great Canadian Businesses were built by Young Entrepreneurs and that if Synergic International Foundation is Supported it will contribute significantly to Africa’s Development Agenda.

The Other Speaker Mr. Sam Wazir, Director of Business Development MABANI STEEL L.L.C from Canada spoke on the Significance of Youth Social Entrepreneurship in promoting Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Africa.

He Stressed that Social Entrepreneurs can play a vital role in increasing Africa’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Sector.

John N. Yeboah -Ghansah, Executive Director and Founder of the Organization made emphasis on the fact that, he will congratulate all his Co- Founders here in Ghana and Isaac Aggrey in South Africa for the encouragement.

“Our South African Director has been with us in spirit and we believe with selfless dedication we can make the continent of Africa a better place in the World”.

‘’John stated that, the Launch of the Network was part of his Project and duty after winning the United Nations Millennium Campaign and Sukuma Afrika Young Entrepreneurship Competition award at the World Economic Forum On Africa Last year in June Cape Town South Africa”.

This has been a year task after June 3rd in South Africa and I am very grateful to God for making it happen within 9 months.

The launch of the SIF-Network for Young Social Entrepreneurs in Africa forms 20% of the Synergic Complex International Project which was awarded last year as a viable project in developing human and intellectual Capital, a project worth $500,000- $1,000,000 .
This SCI- Project Needs Equity Financiers he noted.

With two offices on the Continent of Africa (Ghana and South Africa) the Network will soon be established within 5 African Countries within Three Years.
It will be achieved through our Strategic Network.

Mrs. Joana Bannerman the Senior Manager of Guarantee Trust Bank Ghana also made comment on Mohammed Yunus Founder of Social Entrepreneurship and Grameen Bank videos.

The Event was also attended by the CEO of the West African Business Association – Ghana. Mr. Sam Poku, Bishop N.A. Tackie Yarboi Victory Bible Church Intl, Dr. Mrs Adelaide Kastner , Business Executives, Young Entrepreneurs.

Leaders and a section of Ghanaian Media (Net 2 TV and the Daily Graphic) were also present.

774 million adults can not read, and 75 million children who are not in school will be denied the chance to learn to read and write. Although education has been promised since 1948, progress to date has been painfully slow.

World leaders have promised to provide all children with an education by 2015 and we need to constantly remind them of their promise.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world (Nelson Madela)

Education also gives people the skills and confidence to break-out of poverty and build a better life.

It is based on these analyses that Women Business Center found it necessary to engage the Young Feminist in Action Task Force in this Campaign.

The Big Read is GCE‘s Action Week 2009 activity that will take place during 20th – 26th April 2009.

The campaign is designed to mobilise maximum support for Adult and Youth Literacy and Lifelong Learning through the act of reading and writing and story telling.

There are stories and speeches from many international figures including Nelson Mandela and Queen Rania alongside inspirational stories from people who have struggled to get an education.

We are collecting the names to deliver to governments during the week of the 20th to 26th of April 2009 to demand that they take action to make sure that everyone has an education.

Women Business Center will be holding events from 20th – 26th April to commemorate the campaign at our center.

We have the pleasure to present the 2009 Business Training programme for business women and aspiring women entrepreneurs.

Women Business Center continues to sustain the interest of women in its core principles and strategies. In this end, most of the regular trainings have been maintained to benefit more women.

Mindful of the socio-economic transformation process and economic downturn currently taking place in the world, we will promote productivity and efficient market in marginalized communities for the growth and development of the national economy on sustainable basis.

We begin the year with our usual 3-day workshops.

The objective of this training is to provide an opportunity for potential women entrepreneurs and business owners to gain innovative entrepreneurial skills, financial capacity, sharing of knowledge, skills training, and enterprise development in order to help them access market, networking and business opportunities.

WORKSHOP DAY 1

PEER MENTORING ON DISCOVERING YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL

It is result oriented and a participatory discussion focusing on practical issues with direct relevance to Self awareness and practical approaches to deal with laying foundations for success.

This approach gives each participant a chance to specifically address their wants, needs, dreams, aspirations, passion, purpose and the financial hardships many of them face.

Participants and the facilitators work in a highly participatory environment. Participant’s group work, brainstorming and discussions are complemented with motivation, singing amidst dancing with a view to stimulate and awake their enthusiasm.

WORKSHOP DAY 2

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

2 out of 10 emerging entrepreneurs make it in the business world. Our aim with this programme is to assist emerging, survivalist, and existing women entrepreneurs with one on one approach on Business Planning with emphasis on Feasibility Study, Marketing, Risk Analysis, Operational and Management Plan.

Much knowledge is gained from the sharing of experiences and perspectives on cross-cutting business issues.

At the end, participants are equipped with crucial business skills needed to start and manage a small business or an income generating business.

Finance plays a critical role in businesses, participants are thought possible funding sources and how to make informed financial decisions.

Our aim is to extend micro-finance to these young women to realize their full potential.

As part of supporting participants business initiatives, efforts are made to seek a partner that can develop a focused finance vehicle scheme dedicated to aspiring entrepreneurs.

In the value chain the center and any commercial institution involved in the programme shall focus on skills development and information portal while financial partner shall take over business ideas that are viable for funding.

The greatest restorer of pride, dignity and a sense of self is the ability and opportunity to take care of oneself and one’s family through earning a decent living to address basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, etc.

At the end of the training, participants will be able to produce and submit a bankable business plans that will be submitted to financial institutions for funding.

BENEFICIARIES

Aspiring and Women Business Owners

Poor and vulnerable grass roots women.

Young people deserving of special attention because of their role, situation and level of their vulnerability.

Women affected by the phenomenon of social exclusion, such as the HIV/AIDS, the disabled, and the unemployed.

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

Training methods will include presentations by our center specialists and invited external lecturers. They will include individual and group learning activities under the guidance of highly qualified specialists in financial sectors, gender mainstreaming and learning methodology.
Participants and facilitators will work in a highly participatory environment.

Participants group work, brainstorming and discussions are complemented with presentations, with a view to stimulating participants’ ability to link concepts and data to their own work and life experience.

The training will also make use of the lecture / discussion method, transparencies, video films, individual and group exercises and role-play.

THE YOUNG FEMINIST IN ACTION TASK FORCE TEAM

The beneficiaries will be identified and selected from communities using our young feminist task force team as baseline criteria volunteers.

They will further recommend and recruit other young feminist to join them in participating in this programme.

They will document stories of victims from communities and schools to offer solutions.

They will use every opportunity to speak out openly about the need to take effective action to prevent the spread of HIV, promote the campaign to access to preventable infections among our communities and schools and fight against social ills.

They will include people living with or vulnerable to HIV as vital partners in HIV prevention efforts.

They will advocate new ways of dealing with economic hardships within communities by engaging with top leaders of today.

NNOGOLIDE FENI is currently the CEO and founder of FENIONELA MANUFACTUTING & GEN which has been operating for 3 years. Prior to attending our workshop, Feni was working with only three women. Upon graduating from our workshop, she managed to secure a loan from the REDDOOR to expand her business.

In addition, Feni has invested into food and garden business which has provided job creation for 50 women in her community. She formed this primarily as a means to assist other women to venture into business activities.

She also works closely with other financial institutions to connect low-income businesswomen to funders.

Feni is an accomplished businesswoman who now works with number of women in her community.

NOKONWABA MXAKA currently directs LIBOTWE EVENTS & PROJECTS with the mission to offer event management and catering services to individuals, schools, corporate and government department.

Mxaka business has become one of the fastest growing businesses after enrolling in our advanced training which further introduced her to our unique business package for businesswomen.

She now has significant business experience and operates outskirts of Cape Town. Her company represents one of emerging events management companies in Cape Town.

FUNEKA DUKWE now works with a range of women who are interested in starting their own business. She was a single mother operating on a thin and narrow business but now work with low income self employed women entrepreneurs providing training and mentorship programmes to them.

She is employed by Women Business Center as an overseer of our center for women in Khayelitsha environ.

NESTER DZOYI was unemployed married woman but now works with young women per communities to document their poverty levels, business profitability, and their social standards.

Nester forms part of the young feminist in action leadership team and brings her expertise to assist young women with extensive business start up and social ills. She works with young women particularly in the area of stigmatization.

She has participated in various industry forums such as the International Parliamentary Union, Educational Summit Campaign, and Women microfinance forum, among others since joining Women Business Center.

She now offers administrative skills for her husband groceries business stores.

She has motivated young women in her communities to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative and a viable option for self employment and wealth creation.

The programme is designed to identify, develop and promote emerging women entrepreneurs to attain and succeed in businesses. This has provided an opportunity for women to gain financial capacity, enterprise development, access market, networked with top business women and created sustainable business opportunities.

Through this initiative 250 underserved women have had support, make their voices heard, gain more influence in the political and social processes that affect them and their families.

Many more women are being mobilized from various sectors within communities to take active role in ensuring that their needs are met. Our partnership between Government departments, Public-private sector and International organizations for sometime has served as an intervention to realize entrepreneurship development for the benefit of underserved women within marginalized communities.

The young feminist team targets dynamic young women interested in developing transformational leadership skills in their community.

They are young women with exceptional skills, exhibited leadership potential and tackle issues affecting women.

They address key topics such as: Gender Justice and Equality, Women’s Health and Safety, Political Participation, Personal development, International Trade, Technology among others.

With a staggering outcome of our successes conducted by various organizations including United Nations and Organization of Women in International trade, our programme is in high demand.

Participants Businesses are followed up on weekly basis. Our branch representatives elected headed by our young feminist group provide additional mentoring, coaching and monitoring of participants businesses.

Business Plan competition is organized to further give assistance and advanced workshop to transform informal businesses into formal businesses.

Our unique business package for business women which includes but not limited to, Internet Usage, Web Design, Business Cards, Networking sessions, Flyers, VOIP, Marketing Stand at the center, Business Registration and Advice, Access to Finance, Legal Advice, Business Events and Mentoring, PC Training are provided by our center specialist at subsidized rate to interested members.

We have promoted productivity and efficient market in marginalized communities for the growth and development of the national economy on sustainable basis.

South African Women are victims of violence. It is estimated that one out of six women are in abusive relationships. One woman is killed by her partner every six days.
A shocking 80% of rural women are victims of domestic violence. A woman is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa and one in four men has raped a woman. (by ISS).
These realities will impact on family and work life and will have a detrimental effect on the youth. This translates into adverse effects on learning, skills development and the economy.
It is based on the above analysis that the Young Feminist In Action task force team working on violence against women found it necessary to attend a Seminar on Women, work and learning: the impact of violence which toke place on Friday 13 February 2009.

Dr. Jenny Horsman a community-based literacy theorist, educator and researcher with more than three decades of experience in adult literacy in England, Canada and Sierra Leone hosted the seminar.

The Young Feminist in Action task force team engaged with Dr. Horsman on these crucial issues and broke solutions to the growing problem in South Africa and around the globe

Critical Issues addressed include;

Women experiences in the work place.

Training interventions to support women’s empowerment and increase their ability to successfully occupy positions in management.

How violence affects women participation in the workplace, learning and training.

The Impact of Violence.

Who to encourage to join in thinking further of the impact of violence.

What to do to investigate the issue.

Steps needed to take to address the issue.

As a custodian of empowering young adult women and an agent to create capacity for marginalized communities, the Young Feminist in Action task force team will position themselves to capacitate victims of violence to share their struggles and strength.
They will focus on hope and possibilities, put every setting to commit themselves to address this issue holistically.
With the power and knowledge acquired from this seminar, they will influence their communities systematically in the fight against violence and abuse against women and children.

They have decided to initiate this in schools to educate the girl child about their rights.

They will also work together as allies with other women to instill change in schools and communities in order to;

Eliminate shame and humiliation of violence and abuse.

Reduce Anxiety of violence and abuse of women and the girl child.

Create emotional safety and enabling environment to support training and learning for women and the girl child.

Break the silence of violence and abuse.

Create new ideas in the fight against violence and abuse.

Our appreciation to all and sundry for this opportunity to help the Young Feminist in Action task force team to provide resources for its activities.

This will enable them to support the growing numbers of victims of violence and abuse in marginalized communities and schools.

We also thank Luciana Brindusa Grosu a young Romanian journalist for her active participation with the Young Feminist in sharing victim’s real-life stories with the world. Additional information about the impact of violence on learning can be found at Spiral Community Resource Group.

Cape Town Businesswomen looking for financial support for their businesses will have the opportunity to access funding of up to R2million.

They will put themselves in line to access this funding if they attend a seminar by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) about the Isivande Women’s Fund on 23rd February 2009 at the Ritz Hotel, Greenpoint.

The purpose of the seminar, one of many that have been held across the country, is to educate women entrepreneurs and existing businesswomen about the requirements for accessing the fund.

The R100million development finance fund was launched in February last year.
It came into being as a result of a study of women’s access to finance in South Africa conducted by Gender and Women Empowerment Unit of the DTI, the International Finance Corporation and FinMark in 2006.

The study found that limited access to finance for women inhibits the establishment, growth sustainability and profitability of women’s enterprises.

The study also pointed towards gender bias within existing financial institutions.
The study was followed by a series of consultative workshops on access to finance for women entrepreneurs which confirmed the need to establish an exclusive fund for women – the Isuvande Women’s Fund.

The fund provides financial support for deals requiring start-up funding, business expansions, rehabilitations, turnarounds and franchising.

The loans range from R30,000.00 to R2million per business, with a maximum loan repayment period of five years.

According to Mmabatho Matiwane, the head of Gender and Women Empowerment at the DTI, the announcement of the fund resulted in her office being inundated with enquiries from businesswomen hoping to access the much needed funding.

“The huge interest generated by the announcement of the fund confirmed that such an initiative is long overdue,” she noted.

“But it is necessary to hold these seminars in order to ensure that businesswomen fully understand how the fund operates and what the all qualifying criteria are”, says Matiwane.

She says this will help considerably speed up the process of applying for the fund and improving the turnaround time of applications.

It will also ensure that only those businesswomen who meet the pre-requisites for funding assistance submit applications for processing.

“We will be submitting application forms at the seminar and will be assisting businesswomen to complete them correctly” added Matiwane.

According to business owners, access to funding for smaller businesses is often cited as one of the top three problems inhibiting small business growth. (Big News)

Poverty and unemployment within disadvantaged communities has become a serious problem, young adult women and the youth are not immune to these social ills. Poor communities in South Africa remain vulnerable to unemployment and permanent dependence on employment just for survival.

The economic growth desired by the government shall remain a pie in the sky if women are not able to establish new enterprises and create new products and services.

The Young Feminist in Action task force team working towards Poverty Alleviation will join in the discussion.

Their interest is to forge action and advance the rights of women and social justice in their community and South Africa at large and therefore see their involvement as direct engagement to facilitate greater synergy for effective service delivery.

This is a very important seminar for them, especially as they prepare to develop more quality and sustainable projects to uplift young women entrepreneurs.

Many more women entrepreneurs are being mobilized from various sectors within communities to attend this seminar to ensure they partake in the government pie to address their needs.
By: Isaac Aggrey.